Pizza is its own food group for a lot of college students, but it can get expensive as a recurring meal. With this recipe, you can have pizza anytime the craving strikes with easy and cheap ingredients.

There is a certain amount of preparation necessary with the homemade crust, but the difference is definitely worth the effort. You can toss the crust into the air like a real professional too!

Story by Abby Morgan

Photos by Mary Pistorius

Crust Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil and some to drizzle into a bowl
• 2 tsp. cornmeal

Crust Directions

1. Put the yeast and sugar into a large bowl and add warm water. When bubbles form, add the olive oil and salt.
2. Add the flour gradually to the mixture and stir until the dough stops sticking to the bowl.
3. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes on a lightly floured surface. As an alternative, a standard mixer with a dough hook would also suffice.
4. Drizzle a medium-sized bowl with olive oil.
5. Place the dough in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel.
6. Leave the dough in a warm place, such as your microwave or a corner of the kitchen, to rise for 1 hour.
7. Divide the dough into two sections and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Ingredients for Toppings

• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
• 4 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup pureed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 package of basil leaves, sliced into small pieces
• ½ tsp. black pepper

Pizza Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500° F or as high as possible.
2. Assemble the pureed tomatoes, olive oil, black pepper and garlic into a small or medium sized bowl.
3. Set aside the cut basil leaves, cubes of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
4. Place one of the dough balls on a slightly floured surface. Spread one teaspoon of cornmeal on the dough and stretch the dough to desired thickness and length.
5. Now is the time to twirl the dough into the air, if you feel so inclined.
6. Put the dough on a cookie sheet and add half the tomato sauce onto the pizza. Then add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan followed by half of the basil leaves and half of the mozzarella.  
7. Bake the pizza for 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and slightly brown on the top.
8. Repeat for the second pizza, slice and serve immediately.